Cuban Government Orders BYD Electric Vehicles

Cuba, full of cars from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, soon should get its first modern electric cars, and according to Forbes first on the island will be BYD.

The Chinese company is expected to deliver 719 electric sedans, but there are no details on the model.

“On Friday, Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD (Build Your Dreams) said it will supply Cuba’s tourism industry with something like 719 EV sedans. The order was signed in Havana on July 1 between Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Wang Chuanfu, BYD CEO, and Xu Qin, Mayor of Shenzhen where BYD is located.”

Update: It seems Forbes original report has been in error, and not all of the vehicles in the 719 unit fleet order will be electric, as BYD has issued a statement on the some of the models included in the order, of which are decidedly not plug-ins – “Suri, L3 and G6, the SUV S6, and the MPV M6″

If BYD is able to begin sales of electric cars in Cuba, then it’s only a matter of time before its electric buses are sold there too.

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Fine, I guess, but Cuba needs to find a source of electricity other than oil. They are working on wind, but penetration is still very low.

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3 years ago

Ocean Railroader

The US should be very friendly in trade agreements for US solar panel companies to start selling huge volumes of solar panels in Cuba. But I think as soon as this trade embargo gets lifted China will start construction of several hundred mega watt solar farms in Cuba.

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3 years ago

ffbj

That seems likely.

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3 years ago

Mister G

A Republican Congress will never end embargo.

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3 years ago

Samwise

Shows exactly why electric vehicles are so great, they can buy them now and they will stil be a better than ICE’s, but in 5 years after they have done a few grid upgrades the EXACT same vehicles will magically morph into a far more environmentally friendly choice.

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3 years ago

Mister G

Conservative Republicans are not happy about this deal.

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3 years ago

Vadim Kaprielov

This order includes ICE-powered cars, not EVs or PHEVs:

“..all vehicles in the fleet will be BYD models, namely the sedans Suri, L3 and G6, the SUV S6, and the MPV M6.”

Thanks for posting the correction to the Forbes Magazine article. The first electric vehicles will be delivered to Cuba in October of this year and the company responsible is Cayman Automotive Leasing and Sales, Ltd. from Grand Cayman.